[subelsky]

I know an awesome Node developer here in Baltimore with no prior experience, who had gone to a bootcamp for six months, and who was offered an intermediate-level position. Talking with her I felt like she was more of a colleague than a brand-new dev.

[seandhi]

Do her initials happen to be AK, from Nashville? If so, I know exactly who you are talking about. She used to come to a meetup that I organize for teaching beginners Ruby on Rails before she moved to Baltimore. She's fantastic.

Also, if we are talking about the same person, I will say that the quality of people coming out of the program that she attended is really high. One of my co-organizers is also a graduate, has a little over one year of real experience now, and he is way more knowledgeable than I would expect of someone of similar experience. I had another graduate working for me for a few months, and he was able to hit the ground running.

[subelsky]

yes! that's who I'm thinking of! A great inspiration.

[sscotth]

Nashville Software School instructor here. AK was definitely green coming in, but was one of the hardest working people I have seen come through the program. She networked, asked questions, extended herself with every project, and ultimately took ownership and made the most of every opportunity she had during her time here.

Takeaway: Bootcamps can only do so much. What you do while your there is what makes the difference.